Burglar protection device



June 5, 1934. F. 1.. GAMACHE 1,951,652 Bumbag PROTECTION DEVICE I I Filed Ma '22, 195s 4Sheets-Sheet 1 QII II I? 0L7: n I

' Bu r/ jzwzaizdej. Gai/zacfie Mm Gttorn'egs .F.- L. GAMACHE BURGLAR PROTECTION DEVICE Junq5, 1934 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22 1933 MWMWZ.

Patented June 5, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted to be used in banks and elsewhere, for closing a drawer quickly, for instance, when an attempt is made to rob the bank, novel means being provided for releasing the money or other valuables in the drawer, and novel means being provided for carrying the valuables away to a remote place.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as-the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows in front elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention; parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken near to one side of the cabinet and showing many portions of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the chute and the money drawer;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental vertical section taken through the machinery chamber of the money drawer;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal transverse section which,

' in substance, is a top plan of the money drawer and attendant parts;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

The numeral 1 marks asupport, such as a 40, cabinet, having a hinged front door 2. In the top of the cabinet 1 there is a horizontal frame 3 disposed against a vertical front guide bar 4 and a vertical rearguide bar 5 secured in the cabinet 1. A drawer 6 slides on the frame 3, along the guide bars 4 and 5. A keeper 8 on the front of the drawer 6 engages automatically with a spring latch 7 on the top of the cabinet 1, to hold the drawer closed.

There is a longitudinal partition 9 in the drawer 6, near to one side thereof, and this partition'forms a longitudinal machinery chamber 10 in the drawer. A cover plate 11 is secured to the partition 9 and to the adjacent side wall of the drawer 6, and closes the top of the machinery chamber 10. There is a transverse partition 12,

and longitudinal partitions 22 in the drawer 6, and these partitions form a front row and a rear row of bill compartments 14. There is a bottom 15 for the front row of bill compartments, and a corresponding bottom for the back row of bill so compartments. The bottoms 15 are hinged at 16 to the rear wall of the drawer 6, and to the front wall thereof, for downward swinging movement. Bill holders 17 are hinged to the back wall of the drawer 6 and to the transverse partition 12 and cooperate with the bottoms 15 to retain the bills in the bill compartments 14.

Vertically movable outer levers 18 are located in the machinery compartment 10. The levers 13 are fulcrumed intermediate their ends on the par- 74 tition 9. The outer ends of the levers 18 are pivotally connected with the bottoms 15 of the bill compartments 14, near to the hinged mountings 16 of the bottoms. The inner ends of the levers 18 are pivoted to the lower ends of upwardly extended links 19, having their upper ends pivoted to the outer ends of the inner levers 20. The inner levers 20 are fulcrumed intermediate their ends on thepartition 9. The inner ends of the levers 20 are pivoted to the lower end of an upwardly'extended link 21. The upper end of the second link 21 is pivoted to the rear end of one arm of a bell crank lever 23 fulcrumed on the partition 9. The depending arm of the bell crank lever 23 is pivoted to a horizontal plunger 24. The plunger 24 is slidably supported in the back wall of the drawer 6. A pull spring 25 connects the inner end of one of the levers 20 with the cover plate 11 of the drawer. On the outer side of the drawer 6, adjacent to the machinery chamber 10, there is a projection 26.

A chute 2'7 is secured to the frame 3 and is under the downwardly swinging bottoms 15 of the drawer '6, when the drawer is closed. The chute 27 has a door 28 located behind the door 2 of the cabinet 1, so that access can be had to the chute 27,- if desired. A blower 29 is mounted in the bottom of the cabinet 1 and directs a blast of air downwardly into the lower part of the chute 27. The chute 27 can discharge downwardly, into the cellar of the building wherein the cabinet is used. The vertical drawer guides 4 and 5 are connected by an upper tie bar 30 and a lower tie bar 31. The shaft 32 of the blower 29 is journaled in the lower tie bar 31' and is connected to an electric motor 33 mounted in the bottom of the cabinet 1. The motor 33 is operated by a switch 34 under the control of an operator. The switch 34 is shown as mounted on the floorof the building, but it might be placed elsewhere. The switch 34 also 1 operates a signal 35. The signal may be outside of the building, in a police station, or anywhere else. A gear wheel 36 is secured to the shaft 32. The gear wheel 36 meshes with a pinion 37 supported for rotation on the lower tie bar 31. The reason for having the pinion 37 is to give the blower 29 the right direction of rotation, so that it will blow downwardly through the lower end of the chute 27, and at the same time operate machinery which will be described hereinafter.

The machinery last-above referred to comprises a partial gear 38 mounted for rotation on the lower tie bar 31. The partial gear 33 meshes with the pinion 37. A pull spring 39 is connected at one end to the partial gear 38 and at its opposite end to the vertical frame bar 4. The forward end of a pitman 40 is pivoted to the partial gear 38. The rear end of the pitman 40 carries a pivot element 41 mounted on the lower end of an operating lever 42. The operating lever 42 is fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the lower tie bar 31. The lower arm of the operating lever42 is much shorter than the upper arm of the operating lever, to give the upper extremity of the operating lever a considerable throw. The upper end of the operating lever lies in the path of the projection 26 on the drawer 6.

The pivot element 41 that connects the pitman 40 with the lower end of the operating lever 42 also connects the parts specified with the forward end of a link 43. The pivot element 41 has a limited amount of play in a slot in the forward end of the link 43. The rear end of the link 43 is pivoted to the lower end of a short vertical second lever 44. The lever 44 is fulcrurned intermediate its ends on the tie bar 31. The upper end of the second lever 44 is pivoted to the forward end of a connecting link 45. The rear end of the connecting link 45 is pivoted to the lower end of a third lever '46. The third lever 46 is fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the frame bar 5. The upper end of the third lever 46 is in the path of the back end of the plunger 24 on the drawer 6.

If the drawer 6 is open, and if a hold-up or something else makes it desirable to shut the drawer quickly, the person in charge of the cash operates the switch 34 and puts the motor 33 into motion. The motor 33 turns the shaft 32 and operates the blower 29 so that there is a strong down-draft in the chute 27. When the shaft 32 is rotated, the gear wheel 36 rotates the pinion 37, and the pinion 37 rotates the gear 38. The pinion or gear 38 is an interrupted gear, and after it has been rotated sufiiciently, the pull spring 39 keeps the gear segment of the member 38 out of mesh with the pinion 3'7. This is done in order that the blower 29 can continue in operation, and create a strong down-draft in the chute 2'7. after other parts have been actuated, in a way now to be described.

The partial gear 38 operates the pitman 40, and the pitman 40 swings the operating lever 42, to cause the upper end of the operating lever to move backwardly. The upper end of the operating lever 42, as it moves backwardly, engages the projection 26 on the drawer 6 and slides the drawer inwardly to a closed position. Because the pivot element 41 in the lower end of the lever 42 works in a slot in the link 43, the drawer 6 has a chance to get into a substantially closed position, or at least into a position in which the hinged bottoms 15 of the drawer can drop into the chute 2'7, before the bottoms are released. The bottoms are released as follows:

When the link 43 is carried to the right in Fig. 2, the link tilts the second lever 44, and causes its upper end to move to the left, the third lever 46 being swung on its fulcrum, and the upper end of the third lever moving to the right.

When the upper end of the lever 46 moves to the right in Fig. 4, the plunger 24 moves to the right, thereby tilting the bell crank lever 23 on its fulcrum. The bell crank lever 23 carries the second link 21 downwardly, the inner ends of the levers 20 move downwardly, the outer ends of the levers 20 move upwardly, the links 19 carry the inner ends of the levers 18 upwardly, the outer ends of the levers 18 move downwardly, and the bottoms 15 of the drawer 6 are swung downwardly to the dotted line position of Figs. 4 and 3.

This dumps the bills out of the bill compartments l4, and the bills fall into the chute 2'7. The bills are engaged by the blast from the blower 29, and are carried-away to a remote place. The mechanism for closing the drawer can readily be reset by hand to the solid line position of Fig. 2, and the spring 25 of Fig. 4 will automatically restore the drawer-carried mechanism to the solid line position of that figure. Noting the solid line position of the lever 42 and the projection 26 on the drawer 6 in Fig. 2, it will be understood that the drawer 6 can be opened and closed at any time, in the ordinary way, and by hand.

The device is simple in construction, but it aff ords an efficient meansfor closing a drawer quickly, a consideration desirable under many conditions, for instance, when an attempt is made to crack a bank or other repository for valuable things. Although the device has been described for use in connection with bills, it will, of course, handle coin.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for frustrating theft, a support, a drawer slidable in the support and having a movable dumping bottom, means carried by the drawer for opening the bottom, and mechanism under the control of an operator for closing the drawer, a portion of said mechanism coacting with said means, to actuate said means and to open the bottom, as the drawer closes.

2. A device for frustrating theft, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with a chute so located as to be under the bottom, when the drawer is practically closed, and air blast mechanism discharging into the chute, away from the drawer.

3. A device for frustrating theft, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with a chute so located as to be under the bottom, when the drawer is practically closed, air blast mechanism discharging into the chute, away from the drawer, and means for operatively connecting the air blast mechanism with the mechanism for closing the drawer, for actuation by the mechanism for closing the drawer.

4. A device for frustrating theft, constructed as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by the fact that the means carried by the drawer for opening the bottom embodies an outer lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the drawer, an inner lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the drawer, a bell crank fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the drawer, means for pivotally connecting the outer end of the outer lever to the bottom, means for operatively connecting the inner end of the outer lever to the inner end of the inner lever, means for operatively connecting the inner end of the inner lever to one arm of the bell crank, and a plunger slidably mounted on the drawer and pivoted to the other arm of the bell crank, the plunger being disposed in the path of a part of the mechanism for closing the drawer.

5. A device for frustrating theft, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by the fact that the means carried by the drawer for opening the bottom embodies a plunger slidably mounted on the drawer and disposed in the path of a part of the mechanism for closing the drawer, means for connecting the plunger operatively with the bottom and embodying interconnected link and lever means mounted on the drawer, and means for closing the bottom, the lastspecified means being a spring connected to the drawer and to one of the levers of said link and lever means.

6. A device for frustrating theft, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by the fact that the mechanism for closing the drawer embodies a motor mounted on the support, a rotatable member journaled on the support, means for connecting the rotatable member with the motor, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the support, one end of the lever lying in the path of a part of the drawer, and a link pivoted to the rotatable member and to the opposite end of the lever.

7. A device for frustrating theft, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by the fact that the mechanism for closing the drawer embodies a motor mounted on the support, a rotatable member journaled on the support, means for connecting the rotatable member with the motor, an operating lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the support, one end of the operating lever lying in the path of a part of the drawer, a link pivoted to the rotatable member and to the opposite end of the operating lever, a second lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the support, a second link connecting one end of the second lever with said opposite end of the operating lever, a third lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the support, one end of the third lever being the specified portion of the mechanism under the control of an operator which coacts with the means for opening the bottom of the drawer, and a third link forming a connection between the opposite end of the third lever and the opposite end of the second lever.

8. A device for frustrating theft, comprising a support, a drawer slidable in the support and having a movable dumping bottom, means carried by the drawer for opening the bottom, a chute so located as to be under the bottom, when the drawer is practically closed, a rotary blower discharging into the chute, away from the drawer, means for operating the blower, and means for closing the drawer, embodying intermeshing gears, one of which is connected to the means for operating the blower, another of the gears being an interrupted gear, whereby the blower may be continued in operation after the drawer has been closed.

9. A device for preventing theft, constructed in accordance with claim 8, in combination with means for holding the interrupted gear out of mesh with its fellow gear after the drawer has been closed, thereby permitting the operation of the blower to continue.

10. A device for preventing theft, constructed in accordance with claim 8, in combination with a pull spring connected to the support and to the interrupted gear and constituting means for holding the interrupted gear out of mesh with its fellow gear after the drawer has been closed, thereby permitting the operation of the blower to continue.

11. In a device for frustrating theft, a support, a drawer slidable in the support and having a movable dumping bottom, means carried by the drawer for opening the bottom, a chute so located as to be under the bottom when the drawer is practically closed, air blast means discharging into the chute, away from the drawer, driving means connected to the air blast means, mechanism for closing the drawer, a portion of said mechanism lying in the path of the means for opening the bottom, to actuate said means and open the bottom as the drawer is closed, and automatically-acting means for releasably connecting said mechanism to the driving means, whereby the driving means will first operate the air blast means and said mechanism together, and then operate the air blast means alone.

FERNANDE LEONA GAMACHE. 

